First Mead

[SudsyPaul]

Alright, I have 3kg of honey from Costco (I know, not the best) that I'd like to ferment. I have Wyeast's Sweet Mead yeast that I'd like to use.

I wanted to do the staggered addition of nutrient/energizer, and for the love of sweet Pete, I can't find the articles that explained how to do this. I've looked a few times and get annoyed I can't find it, then get distracted with beer recipes and run off and make beer.

So I'm hoping someone can assist with this...

I'll put the 6.6lbs of honey in 2 gallons of water and add my yeast. Do I do 1/3 of the suggested nutrient and energizer on day 1, 3 and 7ish? I recall that being what I saw on Brewing TV and in some article... but I'm a bit of a googling dunce, on this one.

 

[BigKahuna]

Look at Page 1 of the mead FAQ... It's sticky! At the top of the mead forum.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

I usually do 1/3 at pitch, 1/3 at first sign of ferment, and the rest at the 1/3 sugar break (the days can be as few a 3 or long as a week.) Check the gravity to make sure you aren't passed the 1/3 break or your yeast won't be able to use it IIRC.

 

[SudsyPaul]

Well I'm a putz... I looked at those links, but didn't look at the right ones, it seems.

So what I'm planning on doing is something like:

Mead Day: Mix honey and water, aerate the crap out of mixture and add 1/3 of the nutrient & energizer + 100% yeast
Day 2: Add another 1/3 of the nutrient & energizer and aerate the must
Day 4ish (depending on hydro reading): Add final 1/3 of nutrient & energizer and aerate must again.

Sound about right?

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Yup, looks good to me! Should be finished fermenting in no time. And then there's the waiting around.

 

[fatbloke]

Oh dear.......that bloody yeast again !

Good luck with it.......

 

[Arpolis]

Oh dear.......that bloody yeast again !

Good luck with it.......

LOL

It will never go away. It's the name. Everyone loves a good sweet mead and people see this yeast labeled sweet mead yeast and think it is perfect.

To the OP. I would suggest doubling the recommended nutrient doses. It will help, because otherwise this yeast is known to stall early on.

 

[SudsyPaul]

I'm dumping a full pouch of it in only 3-gal. I know a couple people that used it, and one had a perfect sweet mead... the other made a dessert-mead :S I'll add some extra nutrient, for sure

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Cotes De Blancs has always left residual sweetness for my meads, but just enough, never overdone (except in apple cysers, it takes apple cysers very dry)